“But Moses said, “‘O Lord, please send someone else to do it.’”
~ Exodus 4:13
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you good at making excuses for not doing something when you know that it was something that you should have done? Are you good at giving excuses for not doing something after you were asked to do something and you did not do what you were asked to do? Are you good at using excuses for having done something that you should not have done when you had been asked not to do what you did? What is an excuse to you? An excuse is an attempt to justify, find a reason or give a pretext for not doing something that you know that you should have done. An excuse is an attempt to justify, find a reason or give a pretext for not doing something after you were asked to do but you did not do it. An excuse is an attempt to justify, find a reason or give a pretext for having done something after you were told not to do what you did. Your grandpaa knows that all guys, gals and kids make excuses. Just because all guys, gals and kids make excuses, do you think that making excuses is good thing to do? An excuse is an attempt to escape having to accept the responsibility for not doing something that you know that you needed to do. An excuse is an attempt to escape having to accept being held responsible for not doing something that you were asked to do. An excuse is an attempt to escape having to accept accountability for doing something that you were told not to do but you did anyway what you were told not to do. Your grandpaa finds it very easy to want to make an excuse or attempt to justify, find a reason or give a pretext why he did not do something that needed to be done or why he did not do something that he had said that he would do or why he did something that he was asked not to do.
Do you think that God likes it when a guy, gal or gal makes an excuse, finds a reason, attempts to justify or gives a pretext why he or she did not do what he or she knew needed to be done? Do you think that God likes it when a guy, gal or kid makes an excuse, finds a reason, attempts to justify or gives a pretext why he or she said that he or she would do something and then he or she did not do it? Do you think that God likes it when a guy, gal or kid does something after he or she has been asked not to do what he or she did? Moses was born to an Israelite people group ma and dad who were from the Levi tribal clan. Moses was born after an Egyptian Pharaoh made a law. The Egyptian Pharaoh’s law mandated that a boy born to an Israelite people group ma and dad had to be killed. The Egyptian Pharaoh had become concerned about how many Israelite people group’s guys and gals – who were God’s specially chosen guys and gals, were living in the land of Egypt. When Moses was born, Moses’ ma decided to put her newborn baby into a little reed boat and . . . Moses’ ma was really hoping when she put her newborn baby in a little reed boat and left him floating in the Nile River that Moses would be found by an Egyptian and . . . Moses was found by an Egyptian. The Egyptian who found Moses as he was floating in the Nile River in a tiny reed boat was the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh. The daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh took Moses home with her, raised Moses as her own kid and had Moses educated. When Moses was forty years old, Moses made a life misstep. Moses just happened to come upon an Egyptian guy being really mean to one of God’s specially chosen guys – an Israelite people group guy. Moses did not have an excuse, justification, reason or pretext to kill the Egyptian guy but . . . after Moses killed the Egyptian guy, Moses – to save his life, had to flee the land of Egypt – as the Egyptian Pharaoh had an excuse, justification, reason and pretext to have Moses killed.
Moses would spend the next forty years in the land of Midian herding sheep for a guy by the name of Jethro. Moses would marry Zipporah – one of Jethro’s daughters. Midian’s land area was a barren desert. As Moses one day was caring for Jethro’s sheep in the hot, arid desert, Moses saw a bush burning. When Moses went to check out the burning bush, Moses found himself face to face with God. God had a job for Moses to do. God wanted Moses to lead His specially chosen guys, gals and kids out of Egypt to the land that He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their extended families – who were His specially chosen guys, gals and kids, would always have to live in as their very own land. Instead of being happy that God wanted him to lead the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids out of Egypt to the land that God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their extended families would always have to live in as their very own land, Moses had all kinds of excuses why he could not do what God wanted him to do. Exodus 4 has Moses telling God that he really did not want to do what God was asking him to do because the Israelite people group guys and gals would very likely not listen to him. After God showed Moses a couple of signs – like changing Moses’ staff into a cobra and back to a staff and then making Moses’ hand leprous and then not leprous, Moses had to come up with another excuse. This time Moses used the excuse that he was not a good speaker and . . . your grandpaa can identify with Moses with this excuse. Because your grandpaa stuttered when he was a kid, your grandpaa’s mouth cannot keep up with the words that his mind wants him to say. Moses recounts in what is now verse 13 what he told God “But Moses said, “‘O Lord, please send someone else to do it.’” Moses’ response really did not make God happy as . . . after giving God five excuses, justifications, reasons and pretexts, Moses got it that God had a plan that He was going to complete through him or . . . your grandmaa and grandpaa are hoping that you are already listening for God’s voice and doing what God is asking you to do for His sake. When you hear God’s voice speaking to you, God will bless you if you will do what He is asking you to do.
Exodus 4 (289)